Every generation — boomers, Gen Xers, millennials, and beyond — brings its values and frames of mind to the world. For communicators and marketing pros with deep experience, say 20+ years, that experience isn’t necessarily an advantage when you’re targeting millennials. We don’t think like them. We don’t talk like them. Because we’re not them. …more

I interviewed author Ella Frances Sanders in 2015 after her book “Lost in Translation” had caused quite a sensation and landed on the NY Times bestselling list for four months. I remember thinking how improbable that a single blog post, “11 Untranslatable Words from Other Cultures” could morph into a bestseller. Thanks to over 2 …more

We live in a world that correlates speed with business success. Often, it’s not about inventing the best solution. It’s about getting there first and then fending off competitors parallel to trying to get the product right. But building a brand is not a transaction or a campaign. It requires time. Those same fast-twitch muscles …more

I wrote a couple weeks ago about how word choice can lift a narrative. Forget the classic story arc for a moment. Even one word or phrase can warm up the copy or jar the reader with a bolt of incongruence. But nothing tests the ability to harmonize words in tight quarters like …more

In this corner we have those who have embraced storytelling with the fervor of foodies waiting in line at Salt & Straw for a scoop of the Freckled Woodblock Chocolate. In the opposing corner, we have the suits who find phrases such as “We’re pleased to announce” and “a leading innovator in sequencing code for …more

Your title might be PR manager, keeper of the blog, content developer or the classic copywriter. It doesn’t matter. All of us need to get the visual storytelling religion. The increasing amount of information accessed on mobile means shortened attention spans. And people want an entertainment dimension to their information, even in the business sphere …more

I have discussed the concept of a “word visual” in which the words handle the heavy lifting for an image that doesn’t require deep design expertise. For PR pros who typically major in mass communications, journalism or English, the “word visual’ establishes a path to visual storytelling that’s particularly useful for social channels. One of …more

Most of us who toil in business communications tilt toward words. We studied mass communications, journalism or English in college. When we went looking for jobs, our resumes touted writing expertise, not design. Yet, today’s world calls for equal emphasis on the visual side. I’ve always viewed my blog as a laboratory where I can …more

I’ve been collecting potential fodder for a grab bag post for over five months. Now, I have too many possibilities. Here come three vignettes pulled out of the hat. How The Economist Symbolizes Global As business storytelling goes, The Economist lands in my top five. This is a publication that adores the back …more